Her gaze didn't waver at all; apart from her reddened eyes, her slightly upturned chin was exactly the same as when they first met.

Li Shiyue looked up at her, unmoved by these words: "Whether it was provocation or not, the princess truly wanted my life in the past, and I cannot forgive her for that alone."

"It's even more impossible for me to forgive the princess and for us to become friends. Let's just forget about it. The princess and her husband should live peaceful lives, and so should my husband and I. From now on, let's go our separate ways and not interfere with each other."

"The princess's past pursuit of love is probably known to everyone in the capital. If we were to have close contact, neither my husband nor I would want to become the subject of gossip."

"However, I will accept the princess's gift. Once the princess is born, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion will also prepare a generous gift for the princess's child."

It's one thing to not forgive, since he truly harbored malicious intentions that could have killed someone. However, the feud between the two doesn't necessarily have to escalate to the point of life and death. It's best to keep both families out of it.

Chunling, who had been standing guard, stepped forward and walked to Li Shiyue's side. She didn't bother to lower her voice: "The young master has come. He asked if the madam is finished? It's getting late, and we still need to go to Chonghua Palace to pay our respects to His Highness and the Empress."

Li Shiyue looked up and saw Xu Yunci wearing a dark blue brocade robe with floral patterns, standing beside Lu Cheng. The two of them each had their own merits.

When Lu Cheng saw the Zhao princess looking over, he turned his head and said something to Xu Yunci, then stepped into the pavilion.

Princess Zhao's gaze followed Lu Cheng the entire time, and the two walked hand in hand toward the other side.

Li Shiyue withdrew her gaze, and when she looked up, she met Xu Yunci's eyes. There was a hint of doubt in his eyes: "Why did you talk for so long? Is she still bullying people like before?"

It felt like he could rush over with just a nod.

Li Shiyue suppressed a laugh, shook her head, and took Xu Yunci's hand: "No, I just said a few words very calmly. Let's go to Chonghua Palace, it's getting late."

Seeing that she was unwilling to say more, Xu Yunci did not ask any further. Although he was very curious about what Li Shiyue would say to the Zhao princess, it seemed that the two of them had not had a very bad falling out and Li Shiyue had not been wronged.

He withdrew his gaze and grasped Li Shiyue's hand in return: "Lu Cheng is a very good person. I've been with him all the way here, and I can feel that he has an extraordinary demeanor."

That's true. After all, rumors had been circulating all over the city, and Lu Cheng remained calm and even showed no displeasure when faced with the princess's previous "beloved".

I think so too.

Li Shiyue raised her eyes and told him what she had just said: "It seems that Prince Consort Lu has taught the princess a lot. He can distinguish things clearly. If it were in the past, it would be hard to guarantee that things would be so peaceful today."

Looking around, she couldn't help but regret pinching her palm. She had really gotten used to the leisurely life in the Duke's mansion; she hadn't even left the palace yet, and she dared to discuss such things inside.

"Stop talking. There are too many people and too many eyes in the palace. My cousin has said that we shouldn't gossip outside."

With a hint of regret, she looked up and met Xu Yunci's helpless, amused face. The two quickened their pace and walked towards Chonghua Palace.

The happiest person upon hearing that the two had entered the palace was Xu Lingyu. Xu Yun left the front hall to see the Crown Prince, while Li Shiyue followed the palace maids into Xu Lingyu's main hall.

Xu Lingyu sat upright at the head of the table, holding a cup of tea that looked like it had just been brewed, and took a sip slowly.

Just then, a report came from outside: "The wife of the heir of the Duke of Rong's mansion has arrived."

Along with the gazes directed their way, there were also the several women inside the hall. The first two women on either side of Xu Lingyu were Liangdi, the two who had entered the household later.

Next to her was a heavily pregnant Zhaoxun, who had previously been a low-ranking concubine in Chonghua Palace. She had served her once two months ago and was pregnant, so Xu Lingyu specially promoted her to a higher rank.

The last two were low-ranking officials, of humble origin, and dared not even breathe loudly while seated.

"I woke up this morning to the sound of magpies bringing good news. It turned out that my sister's new sister-in-law had arrived."

The one who spoke was Consort Du, who was sitting in the first seat on the left. She was wearing a rose-red palace dress with dark patterns, her hair was styled in a bun, and a strand of hair on her forehead was adorned with a cloisonné enamel swallowtail hairpin.

As soon as Li Shiyue walked in, she heard this sharp sound. Du Liangdi's eyes were slightly upturned at the corners, and with her glamorous makeup, her features were shrewd, as if she was plotting something with every slight movement of her eyes, revealing a calculating look.

The first person on her right was Liangdi, who had entered Chonghua Palace with her. Her palace dress was a simple moon-white color. No matter what others said, she just lowered her head and sipped her tea, seemingly detached from everything, as if nothing could move her.

Liu Zhaoxun, who was five months pregnant, smiled and spoke, her voice not very soft. She looked up at Xu Lingyu with a smile and said, "I have heard that the Crown Prince's wife has a stunning beauty, no less than that of Your Majesty. It is truly an honor for me to see your beautiful face today."

Du Liangdi turned and glared at her, while Liu Zhaoxun seemed oblivious, smiling and looking at Xu Lingyu with respect and courtesy, quite unlike Du Liangdi.

After paying her respects, Li Shiyue sat down beside Xu Lingyu, her gaze sweeping across the hall before finally settling on Liu Zhaoxun.

She remembered this person; Xu Lingyu had mentioned her before. She was a pitiful woman who had been sold by her father and brothers. The Crown Prince couldn't bear to see her family living without dignity, so he intervened and rescued her. However, when the Emperor found out, he unexpectedly bestowed upon her the title of a low-ranking concubine.

She was only seventeen years old this year, and it was her first time that day that she actually got pregnant.

Li Shiyue remembered Xu Lingyu's original words: Liu Zhaoxun was too cautious, much better than those arrogant people.

As the heir apparent, the crown prince should certainly have many children. If Liu Zhaoxun were the birth mother of the prince, she would be able to teach the child how to walk the right path.

"This is Liu Zhaoxun, he's been pregnant for almost six months."

Xu Lingyu spoke gently, as if she had just remembered something: "Oh, by the way, the imperial physician will be coming today to check your pulse. Go back and prepare accordingly."

Liu Zhaoxun smiled and stood up to express his gratitude: "Yes, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

"Concern is for the child in your womb, not for you. You are such a lowly person, how dare you presume to care?"

Du Liangdi reached out and adjusted her hairpin, a hint of smugness on her face as if she had offended someone with her family background.

Unexpectedly, Liu Zhaoxun was not a weak person. She did not seem angry but smiled slightly and said, "I am a lowly person. I am fortunate to have the blessings and protection of Your Highness and Your Majesty. The child in my womb will respect Your Majesty in the future. What we have learned and remembered is what respect and hierarchy are."

"It's not like Consort Du, who is well-versed in both ancient and modern times, and has her own unique perspective on the etiquette of hierarchy. She always tries to be different from us, highlighting how noble Consort Du is. What is lowly? To put it bluntly, you and I are both concubines."